Audi RS6 review

Audi’s practical family car laced with supercar performance. Ever since its collaboration with Porsche in the early Nineties to investigate surprisingly spacious speed courtesy of the RS2, the folks at Ingolstadt have made a name for themselves by producing knuckle-biting, performance-orientated five-door estates. This latest iteration has added even more sophistication and technology to go with its speed. A hell of a lot of speed.

Angry-looking thing, isn't it?

Only the front doors, roof and tailgate are shared with a rep-spec, previous-generation A6. And it’s got heaps of attitude: blistered bodywork a whopping 80mm wider than standard, a contemptuous frown (a throwback from the Sport Quattro), bazooka tailpipes and a squat muscular stance, sat low on 22in wheels. These features compound for unparalleled presence.

Over the years, the RS6 has had a multitude of engines, including, hilariously, a twin-turbo V10. Now billed the RS6 ‘Performance’, these days it’s powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 good for 621bhp and 627lb ft, rises of 31bhp and 37lb ft over the previous ‘non-Performance’, if you like. As a result it’ll do 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds. That’s 0.2s faster than the previous version.

So, it’s got pace, but how about space?

This supercar performance is paired with a boot that’s capable of swallowing 565 litres of space seats up and 1,680 litres of stuff seats down. That’s superior to the BMW M5 Touring (which is ever so slightly smaller dimensions wise), Mercedes-AMG E53 Estate (now it's got all those hybrid gubbins) AND Porsche's Taycan Sport Turismo.

Does it have switchable 4WD like the BMW M5?

No, it’s permanent 4WD – you can’t disable the front driveshafts. In real world situations, this means you can use a ridiculous amount of that near 621bhp grunt all the time. That’s the difference Quattro makes; it gives you traction and confidence. But thanks to a new active rear differential, the Performance is more entertaining at the very limit than most other Audi wagons of recent decades.

Sounds promising…

That’s just the tip of a tech iceberg. There’s also rear-wheel steering, adaptive suspension and the interior wouldn’t embarrass an A8 limo. It’s a very complete family wagon – as it should be with prices starting at £120,195. That’s around £25,000 more than the previous model, but Audi is happy to charge you far more if you’d like some carbon fibre in the mix…

What’s that funky-looking one I’ve seen on the interweb?

You’ll be referring to the limited edition ‘GT’ of which just 60 of the planned 660 units will come to Britain. Along with the, er, slightly garish livery (which is standard, BTW) - a nod back to the all-conquering 90 Quattro IMSA GTO racer - you get a carbon bonnet, bespoke bumpers, vented front wings and white 22-inch wheels. No roof rails, note. Better aero, innit. 

Under the skin it gets the same twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 delivering exactly the same power and torque you get in the regular RS6 Performance, only shedded weight means the zero to 62mph sprint is seen off a tenth quicker while the speed limiter has also been removed, resulting in a vmax of 190mph. Useful on the autobahn, less so anywhere else.

You also get a few more bits from standard, most notably the manually adjustable five-link coilover suspension which drops the RS6 by 10mm, plus carbon ceramic brakes and a sports exhaust. At £176,975, it's far from cheap, mind.

Ultimately the RS6 even in Performance guise isn’t begging to do a driver’s bidding like an M5 Touring. But for an RS6, it’s fairly sensational - more so in GT trim. There’s still room for improvement: the typically Audi-ish brake pedal is horribly over-servo’d and demands you faceplant the dashboard. Downshifts are a bit tardy too.

You still get the sense this is a car happier at eight-tenths. But should you choose to, you get your money’s worth when you crank the big six up to eleven. And we’d not blame you if you bought one purely for how devilishly brooding it looks. Phwoar…